EPPO Global Database

Bird seeds have been identified as a pathway for the introduction of invasive alien plants as contaminants. It is estimated that the market for bird seeds is increasing by 4% every year. This is linked to the increase of income and leisure time in industrialized countries. Until recently, the market for bird food was mainly concentrated in the industrialized countries of the northern hemisphere, however sales of bird food in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Mexico have increased substantially over the past five years. Bird food statistics are difficult to find as they are grouped under the general heading of “pet food”. In the USA alone, 52 million people spend USD2.5 billion on bird food. The total northern European market has an estimated value of more than USD1 billion, mainly in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The global bird food market can roughly be divided into the following sectors: caged and companion birds, wild birds and pigeons.

Feeding of wild birds is predominantly a winter activity in northern Europe and North America and is done around houses. With the increased awareness of nature conservation and outdoor activities such as bird watching, wild bird feeding is now a major hobby and the number of bird food mixes, feeders and other accessories has tremendously increased.

Consumers have become more knowledgeable about which seeds are preferred by certain bird species. In order to attract certain species and discourage others into their gardens or balconies, consumers require more and more different types of seeds. The growing trend to treat companion animals as members of the family who deserve the best possible care may orientate the market towards organically grown food, GMO-free food, special treats and food containing exotic ingredients.

Although many of the ingredients are of tropical or subtropical origin, most of them are also cultivated as large-scale agricultural crops in North-America. The major bird seed grown in the tropics is Guizotia abyssinica (Asteraceae), produced by order of importance in India, Nepal, Ethiopia and Myanmar.

Most of the grain crops used as ingredients in bird food have their main market in human or animal nutrition. This implies that components of bird food are often rejects from human or animal food or rejects from the seed industry.

There are about 30 different plants whose seeds are used as bird food. Seeds are given to a variety of domestic and caged birds such as: chickens, pigeons, parrots, budgerigars and canaries. Commercial mixtures of bird seed for these birds vary from one producer to another but the basic ingredients are usually the same. Many of the plants imported as seeds are grown in tropical countries for local consumption. Only a small proportion of the total production is used as bird food.

Species used are the following:

In addition to grain, fruits (banana, mango, papaya, coconut, almonds, pecans, sultanas), vitamin and mineral supplements, vegetable or fish oil and crushed shells are incorporated to bird food mixtures.

Seed shipments first arrive in the importing country in sacks containing a large proportion of unwanted material such as husks, stalks, soil, stones, fragments of insects, weed seeds harvested with the crop, etc. The condition of seeds on arrival depends on the type of crop and the country of origin. Seeds are cleaned first by sieving to remove stones, soil and other large contaminants, and by blowing to remove dust and chaff. Seeds are then sorted using a revolving drum which is lined with indentations of the size and shape of the desired seed. This results in a fairly pure seed supply; the few contaminating seeds that escape the cleaning process are those that resemble the main seed most closely in size and shape.

Most of the birdseeds mentioned above can be cleaned by means of simple air/screen cleaners or by traditional methods such as hand threshing and winnowing. For most seeds, 98-99% purity is standard. It is also essential that bird seeds be shiny, look and smell fresh, be free of dead or live insects and noxious weeds and that the moisture content should not exceed 8-12%.

Guizotia abyssinica (Asteraceae) exported to the USA must undergo a heat treatment (60°C) before shipping to kill Cuscuta seeds that may be present.

The Birdcare Standards Association (BSA) in the United Kingdom has produced standards for wild bird feeding. Complying companies can carry the BSA logo.

Besides producers, others actors such as brokers, packers, and sellers participate in the bird seed pathway.

Brokers: commodity brokers are the link between producers and packagers or wholesalers. Major brokers are located in the USA (7) (in the High Plains, especially in Nebraska and Dakota, which are the main sunflower and millet growing areas), Australia (1), Belgium (1) and France (1).

Packers/wholesalers: they buy bird food ingredients from brokers or import them independently. The multi-national companies such as Nestlé, Proctor ; Gamble, Mars, Heinz and Colgate-Palmolive are large players in the pet food industry. Major packers and wholesalers are based in the USA (7), the Netherlands (3), the United Kingdom (2), Belgium (2), Germany (1) and France (1).

Retailers: in the USA, large supermarket chains (Walmart, Winn Dixie, Kroger) retail large volumes of bird food. It is a high value/margin product and supermarkets account for about 50% of all bird food sales in the USA. The situation is different in Europe as bird food is retailed through garden centres and specialized pet shops rather than through large supermarket chains. During last years, the number of Internet-based bird food retailers has largely increased.

The use of cover crops to create wildlife habitats for hunting or conservation/observation is increasing in the USA and in Europe. Cover crop mixtures may contain: Borago officinalis (Borraginaceae), Carthamus tinctorius (Asteraceae), Chamaecrista fasciculata (Fabaceae), Chenopodium quinoa (Chenopodiaceae), Cyperus esculentus (Cyperaceae, EPPO List of IAP), Dolichos lablab (Fabaceae), Echinochloa crus-galli var. frumentacea (Poaceae), Helianthus annuus (Asteraceae), Lespedeza cuneata (Fabaceae), Panicum miliaceum (Poaceae), Panicum ramosum (Poaceae), Paspalum notatum (Poaceae), Phalaris canariensis (Poaceae), Sesbania grandiflora (Fabaceae), Sorghum spp. (Poaceae), Sorghum vulgare rosburghii (Poaceae), Vicia faba (Fanaceae), Vigna spp. (Vitaceae) and Zea mays (Poaceae).

The bird seed market is very competitive and tries to be innovative by continuously finding new mixtures. For instance, a company added Salvia columbariae (Fabaceae) to its organic bird food as it is a “mythical” energy food of the Native American Indians. Most bird seed packagers are constantly seeking new sources or suppliers of raw material, both to diversify their product lines and to maintain a competitive price.